Waterway reinforced concrete construction and method of constructing the same



J. S. WILLIAMS.

W ATERWAY REINFORCED CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTTNG THE SAME.

- APPLICATTON FILED IAN-2|, 1913.

1,350,690.. 4 Patented g 24, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. S. WILLIAMS. WATERWAYBEINFORCED CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-2|, ID13- Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

J. S. WELLIAMS. V WATERWAY REINFORCED CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTING THE SAIL APPLICAHON FILED IAN.2I, I913.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

, 3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

JOSEPH STOKES WILLIAMS, 0F RI'iERTON, NEVI JERSEY.

WATERWAY REINFORCED CONCRETE COI TSTRJTION AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCT- ING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Fatent.

Patented Aug. 24:, 1920.

Original application filed March 3, 1909, Serial No. 481,070. Divided and this application filed January To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JosnPH SToKns lVILLIAMs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eiverton, in the county of Burlington, State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Waterway Reinforced Concrete Construction and Methods of Constructing the Same, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention is especially designed to be employed in constructing bulk heads, dykes, shore or levee walls, sea walls, wharfs, piers, foundations, water bed reinforcements and all alined structures in or along waterway beds and the shores, and is a division of my copending application, filed by me on the 3rd day of March, 1909, Serial No. 481,070, wherein I have broadly claimed certain methods and apparatus for establishing concrete construction in and about waterways.

The main object of my present invention is to decrease the cost of the construction and at the same time increase the stability and efiiciency thereof.

A further object of my invention is to utilize forms or molds which can be cheaply and conveniently placed and removed, which are capable of successive use, and which provide large units of construction in their 'apacity.

A further purpose of my invention is to provide for the establishing of large units of construction successively and progressively along the line thereof.

- A further purpose of my invention is to -make use of guides or forms which are floated to place and adapted to be sunk or lowered to alined operative position, after which they can be floated so as to be free from the construction for which they have acted as forms, and to successively use the same in the construction of other sections of the same concreting or in other work of a similar nature.

A further purpose of my invention is to make use of the surface or interior of a vessel for the receipt and support of the material and apparatus of which the concrete is being formedor by which the concrete is mixed or distributed.

A further purpose of my invention is to provide in a single construction, a form or guide for giving definite form and shape to Serial No. 743,238.

the concrete work, a working platform for vplishe l, whereby the excavated material may be discharged and supply of concrete be conveyed over or from a platform carried thereby.

A further purpose of my invention is to progressively excavate and fill with concrete within a subaqueous bed to a predetermined depth and level.

(Ether purposes and objects of my invention will more clearly appear in the detailed description hereinafter set forth.

For the purpose of illustrating my inven tion I have shown in the accompanying drawing different embodiments thereof which in practice will give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is of course to be nderstood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these instru mentalities as herein shown and described.

Figure 1 represents a perspective view, partially interrupted, of one embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of another embodiment of my invention.

Fig. represents a perspective view partially interrupted, of a construction corresponding to that formed by the apparatus shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. '-i represents the construction seen in Fig. 3 as supported on reinforced walls such as are shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 5 represents a perspective view of a floatable form provided with a removable facing element.

Fig. 6 represents a perspective view partially interrupted, of another embodiment of my invention.

' corresponding parts in the figures.

section, showing one type of the construction.

of an embodiment of my invention in operaing the type of concrete construction seen in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 represents a perspective view, partially interrupted, of an embodiment of my invention.

eimilarnumerals of: reference indicate Referring to the drawings:

It is to be understood that when I refer to concrete, I intend the same to be broadly construed as covering a binding material of any desired nature, such as, tor example,

cement, concrete, or grouting, and this term concrete alsoincludes any desired forms of reinforcement thereof which may be desirable. Furthermore, in certain cases it is advantageous to employ fillers in order to materially reduce the cost without decreasing the strength of the construction.

Referring now first to the construction seen in Fig. port whose under surface is grooved as shown inend elevation at 2, 3 and 4: to. the shape of the concrete construction which is to be formed. The contour of the under or other surfaces of the support 1 constitutes the mold or form for the concrete, and the pipesor conduits 5 and 6 which provide for the operation of excavating and concrete conveying tubes or conduits by which the material of the bed may be removed to therequired extent either vertically or laterally or both, and by which the excavation can be filled with concrete. Although for purpose ofillustration, I have shown these tubes or passageways as covering but a small portion of the top and. end surfaces, it will be apparent that they may be spread over as much of either surface as may be required to provide for either vertical or horizontal ex- 7 cavating or both vertical and horizontal excavating and feeding. 7 designates passages which provide for the admission of concrete along the top 3 of the space formed by the dredging operation. Concrete can be insert ed through all of these passages and the surface be made smooth and uniform by slight longitudinal movementot the mold it this prove necessary in individual cases, but such longitudinal movement of the mold is not es sential in every case. Rein'forcements of metal can be passed through these passageways prior and subsequently to concreting.

Fig. 10 represents a sectional plan view:

shown a construction capable 0t opera term or mold a single wall of the type pletely formedin order that the concr- 1 1 desi nates a iloatable sun ,In both Figs-1 and2 the channel a a l o 1 .floats 12 as carr in a S designates ballast pipes or water valves for the purpose of permitting water to flow into the structures, to'sinl: them to any desired-degree, and mechanism is preferably provided on the support or independent thereof for removing the water in order to re'float the support, it bein apparent that any desired mechanism may be employed for this purpose. 7 7

i In Fig.3 I have shown a construction resulting "from the operation of the device illustrated in Fig. 1 and operated by the method described and wherein it will he n that side walls 9 and 10 are provided uh are formed integrally with a connectin ase 11 located on a dredged channel.

In the embodiment seen in Fig. 2,

trated at 9 and 10 in Fig. 3, and in which the excavation can be made by l ydraulic through passageways 7 or through Pl} tubes corresponding to those seen at a" G in' Fig. l, but which I have not con it necessary to illustrate in connection witl Fig. 2, since such construction will clearly understood by reference to T L inboth the embodimems seen in F1.

and 2, the form or molt, preferably re in position after the concrete has been may be properly supported while setting.

k l in ad- .vance of the floatable'moldor tormer n1 dredged )reliminarily by any desir of dredge or excavator or the structures do their own dredging, if preferred. both cases. also in doing their own dredgi g they could be sunk to a lower dredging po tion and. afterward raised to mold and i'inisn or the dredging can be done by adjustable members-through the tubes, passagcv s or channels with molding and ill'llSllllk' as hereinbetore described. This. raising can be accomplished by variation in ballast, by separatemechanical means or byclosing the passages crete' and the I bed.

4 and putting pressure on the con Inthe embodiment seen in Fig. 7 I have shown two floatable structures 12 which are adapted to be sunk to any'desired extent within or between guides 13, on which a frame 14L is movable to vertically adjust cuttingnienibers 15. These members '15 are shown as two in number and-as movable in ment of the height of the cutting members and the excavating and filling means car ried thereby or associated therewith. Guides 20 may also be employed, if desired, the

same being illustrated as consisting of sheet piling, but floatable and sinkable alining members, as here illustrated, are also adapted therefor.

In Figs. 6 and 8 I have illustrated methods and apparatus for constructing continuous walls of predetermined height or foundations for o'tl er purposes preferably subaqueous but not necessarily so, by means of spaced sheet piling, tubular pilin" side by ids and juxtaposed, or other hollow strucfares in which successive pairs or mating sections are ruin-I, hycraulically or otherwise excavated and subsequently filled wit concrete, the piling being removed to allow contact and ioining of the soft concrete, when the requi le filling has been attained.

21 desi nates such tubular piling as seen in Fig. 7 of preferably rectangular section outwardly, and with a cutting face 22 and a guide 23. The piles may interlock to insure close union or alineme-nt but in Fig. 7 I have shown two parallel rows. In Fig. 6, 2 1 designates two rows of sheet piling spaced laterally and formed in a temporary section for excavating and filling purposes by structural shapes or fillers, here shown, as at 25, it being understood that any transverse member would also answer this purpose. 26 designates .interior longitudinal reinforcements shown in the present instance as consisting of interlocking metal piles.

The diFierent molds shown in'the various embodiments of my invention maybe provided, if desired, with a wearing plate 27 or side sheathing which is replaceable when worn out or when a sheathing of a different character is desired.

The constructions illustrated in Figs. 6 and 8 could, of course, be used between the plates 15, seen in Fig. 7.

'In Fig. 9, I have shown a pair of walls, 28 and 29, which are formed by the construction seen in Figs. 10 and 11 respectivcly, and referring now more particularly to said figures, 3O designates conveyers or in chanical excavators, and 31 designates fluid excavators in linewith channel ways 32 for the concrete, and I also preferably provide a trailer or former for limiting, leveling and receiving the concrete as the structure is moved forward either continuously or step by step to cut and concrete a channel or any desired number of such chan partly or entirely to the desired depth, al-

though, as is apparent, the floatable mold 1 may be employed for this purpose to any desired extent. A floatable support 1 is then floated into position and sunk in any desired manner in alined position over the dredged or graded channel, preferably by varying the ballast in the float. The mold is then ln'ought to the desired level by suction dredging through the passageways provided therefor, after which the concrete is discharged through passageways by any suitable conduits leading thereto from the concrete receiving or mixing organs, until a desired height and form of concrete is established on the bed. lVhere the concrete is to extend above the foundation part, as in Fig. 3, the mold preferably remains in sunken position until the concrete is 'sufliciently set to maintain formation, and if desired, a

the work.

In the operation of the embodiment seen in F 6, parallel rows of sheet piling 2% are driven down preferably interlocking with each other to form a series of cellular piles in conjunction with the fillers The cells formed by the piling are designed to be 'irogressively dredged and progressively filled with concrete which may be reinforced, as desired. The piles are withdrawn before the concrete is set, thereby leaving a continuous wall of concrete, the upper surface of which may terminate at any desired height. preferably at the surface of the bed of the waterway or the surface of the land..- If so used, the earth walls provide support for the soft concrete, as the piles are withdrawn. The operation-of the embodiment seen in Fig. 8 is similar to that already described with reference to Fig. 6, except that I have shown tubular piles as being employed, which are in close contact with each other and provide for the excavation and establishment of a continuous concrete wall, the suction dredging being done through the tubes and the concrete being laid through the tubes, and the tubular piles are progressively withdrawn as the work proceeds, thereby providing for the continuous operations of pile driving, suction dredging, concrete placing, for the reinforcement of any desired area of bed. In the operation of the embodiment seen in Fig. 7, the bed is primarily dredged or is dredged through the floatable forms 12 in a manner similar to that described with reference to Fig. 1. The floatable forms 12 and 18 are lowereo into alined position and the space between the cutting members 15 is excavated by means of the excavator 16,

and as the work proceeds, the excavated space in rear of the excavator is filled with concrete through the conduit 17 to a desired height. The molds are advanced alongthe Work as the work progresses, and .the cutting plates 15 are raised or lowered by the hydraulic pump 19, as occasion requires.

floats already described and capable of being sunk and lowered in the manner already described, being provided with conduits whereby the bed may be dredged andb'allasted or leveled as desired. ,;In this embodiment, I first employ a mechanical. excavator which is followed up by -a fluid excavator in rear of which the concrete is laid as the work progresses, and the trailer 33 will maintain the height of the wall thus formed, at any desired level. The concrete preferably does'not extend much above the bed, as the earth forms a support for the soft concrete as the piles are withdrawn therefrom.

It will be obvious from the drawings that simultaneously with the excavating of the bed, the concrete is poured into the place excavated, so that the excavating and the forming of the channel and the laying of the concrete proceeds simultaneously.

' It will be apparent that the several means disclosed for carrying out the'purposes indicated are simply shown to illustrate one manner of carrying out my invention in practice and that other methods of construction are practicable without departing from the spirit and scope of my present invention.

' Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method of forming a concrete construction within and upon a subaqueous bed, which consists 1n supporting upon a mechanism into position, adjusting it to the required depth for cutting into the earth bed and laying-the concrete therein, operating the excavator and concrete laying mechanism at the same time they are advanced and in the order mentioned to progressively cut the bed and lay the concrete, floating a mold over a reinforced bed to chamber it,

placing concrete in the chamber thus formed, and molding the concrete by the contour of the mold.

JOSEPH sToKEs w rLniMs l Witnesses: i

H. S. FAIRBANKS, C. -D. MoVAY.

float an excavator and concrete filling mech- 

